Locking and resetting means for counters



M. M. HENNESSY LOCKING AND R'ESETTING MEANS FOR COUNTERS Oct. 12, 1948.

A T TURA/5K5 Oct. 12, 1948. M, M HENNESSY 2,451,084

LOCKING AND RESETTING MEANS FOR COUNTERS Filed oct. 11, 1946 2 `sneezs-shee1 2 l Patented Oct. `12, 1948 n corporation of* Wisconsin inpplicationoemher 11, 1946,"seri1/"No-702,543 .fi

i a-The. present invention relates generally torimprcvements inthe art ofindicating or registering a succession of operations or ioccurances of. events, andi-relates more .respeciallyto improvements in theV construction `and operation .of the driving mechanisms for mechanically driven counters or. the like. f, .The .principal object .of my. invention is to provide an improved counter drive `which may be con'- nectedzor disconnectedffatwill, andfthe various parts of which vmay be. positively locked in either active` or, inactive position. i.. t Counters forindicating or registering ar sucm cession of machineoperationsor occurrences of events, have long been utilized forfdiverse 'pur-- poses in various industries,fand ity frequently be# comes desirable .to prevent, disturbance of readings indicated by such counters, at .1 certain times, f as during setting up of the machines withwhich the counters are associated,Vor'during 1 changes in shifts of the machine operators; While some .previous counters mayy have embodied. means. `for disconnecting the same from their actuating' sources,these prior disconnectingy devices did not preventy tamperingfand possible unauthorizedv changing of the readings because no provisionI was made Vtopositively,lock thenumeral `wheels against; displacement when released from the driving source.' Ity has also ,beencustomary in the construction of counters, to 'provide a` tumbler lock foreffecting resettingoi-the numeralwheels to'zero when starting a new series, oiindications or registrations and I have found it very", desirable to make useof the' samekey for both resetting and drive .control purposes; soy that a single responsible individual may have lexclusive controlofthecounter operation. ,5.,k l It istherefore a more Lspecific objectk oi the present inventionto yprovide improved instrumentalitieskior preventing unauthorized disturbancek ofthe numeral ,wheels o a counter, and for ,positivelylocking the registering elements ,against tampering. f l; Another specice object of this invention is. to provide improved counter drivingclutch mechanism yadapted to be embodieddirectly` within a counting unit, and'which may be actuated by1a` tumbler, lock and key to positively retain the clutch elementsin either ractive or inactiveposi- 3i.OI1.-'.-.k 'f

rA furtherfspecic yobject of thek invention is to provide a counter assemblage y.vvherein agroup of numeralwheels vmay be connected vtoy and disconnected yfrom aH driving source `and locked in inactive position, or may'bereset with the aid the :lineSkr-,B ,ofA Fig. l and viewed of.,y afeomrnon fkeycooperating ,i identical f locks krassociated with the wheel drive and resettingshaft respectively;v y 4 n Still another speciiic object .of f. my invention is-n to `provide `a sirnple,fcompacty andidurable counter4 locking assemblage, which is absolutely tamper-proof, andk which -may 4be manufactured atA moderatecostj and utilizedv effectively .for di,

verse purposes@ f, .c t.

l'Ifhese and other specic objects and advantages ofthe present inventionwill beapparent from ,the following detailed description@ 1 r clear, conception of theffeatures constituting my present improvement, `and of the mode of constructing andi operating counting mechanisms embodying fthe invention, may befhad by referring to -thedrawings accompanying and formingA a part of, this speciiication LAin which like reference characters designate. theY same or .similar :parts in thevariousviews-. f. l f

Fig.,y l is. a iront elevation of a typical `counting unit embodying iivel numeral wheels operableby an oscillatory drive shaft .and provided with tum with .the

bler 4locked resetting and drive disconnecting de,-v

,/Fig.,3-is a similarly enlarged transverse vertic cal section throughthe counting unit, taken yalong inrthe direction ofthegfarrows;and. n n Fig.y 4 isa vlikewise lenlarged transverse ,vertical section throughthe countng unit, taken along the line 4 4- ,of Fig.A l f and viewedy inthe tdirection ofthearrows i While the improvement has been shown and described -herein as being l advantageouslyapplicable to "a mechanical stroke counter ,having` a limited number of numeral wheels operableby anfoscillatory driving shaft, it is not my desire or intent to unnecessarily limitr theuinventionor restricttheutilityof the improvedfeaturesby virtue ofthis .typicalembodiment f 1 JReferringy to Ythe drawings, themechanicaly counting unit shown therein by way :of illustra.'- tion, comprises in generala unitary ,mainbody` creasing] lhaving anormallyfixed reset .shaft8 mounted iny its'opposite `integral 'end walls 9,110

and providing 'a support for a group ofiive rotary numeralwh-eels I I, andA for 'arotatable ratchet 3 Wheel I2; a pinion shaft I4 xedly mounted in the easing end Walls 9, I and having a series of transfer pinions I5 rotatable thereon between the adjacent numeral wheels II, and also providing a rocking support for a ratchet pawl I6 which is cooperable with the ratchet Wheel I2 to normally prevent reverse rotation thereof; a drive shaft I8 journalled for oscillation in the end walls 9, I D of the casing 1 and having secured thereto within this casing a Geneva gear member I9 which is cooperable with the ratchet wheel I2 and pawl I6 to normally rotate the wheel `I2 and the numeral wheel II of lowest order onetenth of a revolution for eachsuccessive oscilla-k tion of the shaft I8, by power applied to an actuating arm secured to the drive shaft externally of the casing 1; a jaw-clutch consisting of a female element 22 rigidly secured to theGeneva gear member I9, and a circular male or rack 'element 23 slidable along lthe shaft I8 and oscillatable therewith by a pin 24 secured to the shaft and coacting with a slot 25 formed in the rack; a tumbler lock 2G mounted in a bracket 21 secured tothe base of the casing 1 and having a half-pinion 28 eooperable with the circular rack 23 and rotatable by meansrof a key 29; and another identical tumbler lock 30 operable by the same key 29 and being mounted upon the casing end wall I0 for cooperation with the reset shaft 8.

The main casing 1 is normally enclosed by a detachable cover 32 having the usual sight opening in the upper front portion thereof; and the reset shaft 8, the pinion shaft I4 and the driving shaft I8 are mounted in the casing end walls 9, I0 with the shaft axes parallel to each other. The rotary numeral wheels II are of similar construction, each comprising a central cylindrical body having a series of ten equally spaced numbers or indicia 33 upon its peripheral surface; a

spring pressed reset pawl 34 swingably confined within each wheel body and coacting with a longitudinal groove 35 in the supporting shaft 8; a transfer disc 35 provided with two teeth 31 adapted to coact with an adjacent mutilated pinion I5; and a gear wheelr38 carrying a pawl coacting with internal ratchet notches in the body, in a well known manner, see Figs. 3 and 4. In the case of the numeral wheel I I' of lowest order, the gear wheel 38 is replaced by a disc 39 to which the ratchet wheel I 2 is firmly secured as by rivets 40; and the counter wheel assemblage is such that each successive wheel II of higher order will have made one complete revolution whenever the next wheel II of lower order has made ten complete revolutions upon the shaft 8.

In the swing counter specifically illustrated, the main drive shaft I8 is oscillatable by the lever arm 20, and one count is registered during each oscillation of the arm, whenever the clutch elements 22, 23 are connected. The Geneva gear member I9 which is rigidlyiattachedto .the female clutch element 22, is provided with a peripheral tooth 42 which is cooperable with the successive teeth of the ratchetwheel I2 to intermittently revolve the latter in one direction whenever oscillation of the drive shaft I8 is being effected and the jaw clutch is active; and the member I9 is also provided witha return spring 43 connecting a laterally projecting pin 44 thereon with a fixed upright pin 45 on'the casing 1, and with an abutment cooperable with a stop 41 formed on the main casing. Rotation of the ratchet wheel I 2 in the opposite direction is positively prevented by the ratchet pawl l'which is swingably supported upon the pinion :shaft I 4 and the upper end of which is engageable with th successive teeth of the Wheel I2 as shown in Fig. 3. The upper end of the pawl IG is constantly urged toward the ratchet wheel I2 by means of a spring 48 which embraces the shaft I4 and has opposite ends engaging the upper pawl end and another abutment 4S formed on the main casing 1.

The main driving shaft I8 which is journalled for rotation or oscillation in the spaced end walls` 9, I0 of the main casing 1, is adapted to be connected to or disconnected from the Geneva gear member I 9 at the will of the operator or attendant, with the aid of the main clutch and tumbler' lock 26 and key 29, the construction of these parts being clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 4. The female clutch element 2'2 which merely embraces the shaft I8 but is not keyed or otherwise secured thereto, is provided with one or more notches 5I and is prevented from shifting along its supporting shaft by a collar 52 firmly secured to the shaft I8. The male clutch element or circular rack 23 which is slidable along the driving shaft I8 and is positively driven by this shaft through the pin 24 coacting with the slot 25, is provided with one or more 'end projections 53 formed for snug driving coaction with the end notches 5I of the element 22 when the circular rack element 23 is shifted to the right from its inactive position shown in Fig. 2. The'end portion of the drive shaft I8 remote from the member I9 and element 22, is provided with an arm or cam 54 which is adapted to contact a fixed stop 55 formed on the casing 1, so as to arrest the reverse motion of the driving shaft I8 in a position whereby the projections 53 will be aligned with the notches 5! as shown in Figs.' 2 and 3; and a coil spring 56 which embraces the shaft Il has one end engageable with a xed abutment 51 on the casing 1 while its opposite end is hooked about a radial pin 58 carried bythe shaft I8 in order to constantly urge the cam 54 toward the stop 55.

During normal use of the improved stroke counting unit, after the same has beenproperly .constructed and assembled as hereinabove described, the assemblage may be associated'with diverse types of machines or apparatus in order to register successive operations thereof, When starting a series of counts, the key 29 may be ap plied to the tumbler lock 30 which is mounted upon the casing end wall I0 and coacts with the shaft 8, and manipulated so as to rotate the shaft 8.and to reset all of the numeral wheels II, vI I to zero position as shown in Fig. 1, The key 28 may then be removed from the lock 30, thereby locking the shaft 8 againstrotation whereupon the pawls 34 of the counter wheels I I, I I' will engage the longitudinal shaft recess 35 to prevent rotation of the numeral wheels inone direction about lthe fixed supporting shaft 8 while permitting revolution of these wheels in the opposite direction.

The same key 29 may subsequently be applied to the other tumbler lock 2 6 and manipulated to cause the half-pinion 28 to rotate a half-revolution and to thereby slide lthe circular rack element 23 of the jaw clutch toward the right as viewed in Fig. 2, until the end projections 53 of the element 23 enter the notches 5I of the element 22, thus drivingly connecting the clutch elements and establishing a positive drive betweenA the driving shaft I8 and the Geneva gear member I9. The driving shaft I8 may then be'oscillated with the aid of the lever 28 in accordance tumbler lock 30.

with the performances of the machine with which the counter is associated, and the successive oscillations will thereafter be transmitted by the gear member tooth 42 to the ratchet wheel I2 and from this wheel to the numeral wheel I I soy as to intermittently revolve this wheel of lowest order about the stationary reset shaft v8. Continued rotation of the numeral wheel II' will ultimately be transmitted to the numeral wheels I I of higher order by the transfer pinions I5 in a well known manner;

When it becomes desirable to positively lock the counting unit against further registration, it is only necessary to re-apply the key 29 to the tumbler lock 26, and to thereafter manipulate the key so as to revolve the half-gear 28 and to thereby shift the rack element 23 to the left and to again disconnect the clutch as indicated in Fig. 2. Oscillationof the driving shaft I8 may then be continued without registration of counts, and the numeral wheels II, II`l may either be maintained in the positions which they assumed upon clutch disconnection, or they may be reset to zero position by reapplying the same key 29 to the other If the motion of the driving shaft I8 is discontinued, the coil spring 56 will cause this shaft and the circular rack 23 to automatically assume proper position for immediate entry of the projections 53 into the notches 5I; and whenever the clutch is disconnected, the tension spring 43 will cause the abutment 45 on the Geneva gear member I9 to contact the fixed stop 41, thus also positioning the member i9 for immediate entry of the projections 53 within the notches 5I.

It will thus be apparent that the present invention provides a simple, compact and reliable means for effecting rapid connection or disconnection of a counter with respect to a driving source, which is also positively protected against unauthorized manipulation. By utilizing similar tumbler locks 26, 30 and a common key 29 to control both the resetting and driving of the counting unit, a single individual may be made responsible for any unauthorized adjustment of or tampering with the numeral wheel settings. The improved mechanism may be readily applied within the casings of standard .counters so as to provide compact unitary assemblages adapted for various purposes and uses, and is also protected against damage by the same cover 32 which normally conceals and protects the relatively delicate -other counter parts.

While the improved clutch mechanism has been shown and described herein as having been applied to a relatively standard stroke counter wherein the successive' registrations are derived from an oscillatory drive shaft which produces intermittent partial revolutions of the numeral wheels Il, I I', it may be just as readily, and perhaps more conveniently, applied to otherstandard counters in which the driving shaft I8 is rotating continuously or intermittently in the same direction so that the successive registrations represent revolutions of the drive shaft rather than oscillations thereof. The improved structure has proven highly satisfactory in actual use, and may obviously be manufactured and applied to standard counters at moderate cost and without undesirably complicating or degrading the appearance of such units; and theinvention is especially useful for the purpose of positively preventing unauthorized displacement of the numeral Wheels when changing shifts, or during new set-ups of machines with which the counters are associated.

It should be understood that it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact details of construction or to the precise mode of use, herein shown and described, for various modifications within the scope of the appended claims may occur to persons skilled in the art. It is also intended that specic descriptive terms used herein shall be given the broadest possible meaning consistent with the prior art, Without departing from the contemplated scope of the appendedy claims.

I claim:

l. A counting mechanism comprising, one or more numeral wheels, a common supporting shaft for said wheels, a drive shaft for revolving said wheels about said supporting shaft, a clutch interposed between said drive shaft and the numeral wheel of lowest order, a key actuated lock for disconnecting said clutch and for rendering said wheels inactive whenever the key is removed from said lock, another lock for effecting rotation of said supporting shaft, and common means for effecting actuation of both of said locks,

2. A counting mechanism comprising, a casing, one or more numeral wheels mounted within said casing and being adapted to register a succession of counts, a driving shaft journalled for rotation in said casing, a clutch interposed between said shaft and said wheels within said casing, a lock within said casing having means for disconnecting said clutch to thereby render said wheels inactive, and another lock within said casing for effecting rotation of said wheels independently of said driving shaft, both of said locks being operable by the same key.

3. A counting mechanism comprising, a casing, a normally fixed shaft mounted in said casing, a series of numeral wheels mounted upon said shaft within said casing, a driving shaft mounted in said casing, a gear member rotatably supported upon said driving shaft and cooperating with the numeral wheel of lowest order to impart counting rotation to said series, a clutch element secured to said gear member and beingk REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,048,041 Cole Dec. 24, 1912 1,108,901 Gruber Sept. 1, 1914 1,338,876 Skerl et al May 4, 1920 1,566,628 Stosick Dec. 22, 19125 2,103,659 Bliss et al Dec. 28, 1937 2,144,373 1 Hemmingson Jan. 17, 1939 2,243,100 Kennedy May 27, 1-941 

